Grashk

Grashk is a Ssrisk soldier who serves on the Ssrisk vessel Ss'Rass'Kriss under Captain Hroshk. He is a first lieutenant at the start of the novel who was temporarily demoted to security guard. Following the death of much of his ship's crew, he is named captain.

Soldier
Grashk was a first lieutenant on board the Ss'Rass'Kriss. Three months prior to the start of Imminent Danger, he was late for a meeting. The Ssrisk do not tolerate tardiness, and Grashk was temporarily demoted to a security guard post. His partner in security was another Ssrisk named Tarsis.

Meeting Eris
Grashk still served as a security guard when the Ss'Rass'Kriss abducted Eris Miller from the planet Earth. Grashk watched over Eris while she was in solitary confinement, and eventually brought her to meet the captain. After Captain Hroshk gave her a lamri, Eris was able communicate with Grashk. Grashk was bothered by Eris' questions, and when she found another prisoner named Miguri, he attuned her lamri to Miguri's so she could speak to Miguri and leave him alone. Regardless, as time went on, Grashk found himself answering Eris' questions about alien life.

Eventually Grashk and Tarsis were ordered to bring Eris and Miguri before Captain Hroshk again. Miguri showed fear at their impending fate, so Hroshk ordered him to be electrocuted, amidst Eris' protests. Grashk held Eris down to keep her from attacking Tarsis. When Hroshk ordered Eris electrocuted as well for protesting, Grashk intervened and attacked Tarsis himself, preventing him from carrying out the order. Grashk defended his actions to Captain Hroshk by claiming that the captain only ordered punishments for cowardly prisoners, which Eris wasn't. Eris thanked Grashk for saving her, but he brushed her off. He then stoically returned Eris and Miguri to their cells.

Later the ship was attacked by a mysterious raider, and Grashk was one of many Ssrisk appointed to defend the ship. His abilities were limited when the raider released a paralyzing gas that specifically impaired Ssrisk. Grashk managed to shrug off the effects long enough to reach the cell block exit. There he encountered the raider himself, who had managed to free Eris and Miguri. Grashk attacked the raider and fought valiantly, but the raider demonstrated skills far beyond anything Grashk was capable of. He defeated Grashk with a kick to the head, and the large Ssrisk collapsed to the floor unconscious. The raider managed to escape the Ssrisk ship with both former slaves and the Ssrisk mission was a complete failure.

At some point after this, Grashk was relieved of his post as a security guard, and resumed his duties as first lieutenant.

Meeting An Old Friend
Several weeks later, Grashk still served under Captain Hroshk. The Ss'Rass'Kriss was returning to Earth to obtain a new human specimen when they encountered Admiral Kratis' ship. Captain Hroshk made an uneasy alliance with Admiral Kratis and they joined forces to attack Varrin Gara'dar, the very mercenary who had stolen Eris and Miguri - and in fact still held them. At this time Grashk commanded a boarding party, and when Hroshk suspected treachery and made a new alliance with the crew of the Nonconformity, Grashk found himself allied with its only crew member on board... Miguri. Grashk accepted the advantage, though he admitted that the new alliance was tenuous at best.

Grashk led his boarding party (now including Miguri) to Kratis' ship. He found Eris and led his Ssrisk into battle, narrowly saving her from being executed by the Rakorsians. Miguri revealed his group's plan to Grashk - they were going to reach the comm deck and contact the Psilosians for aid. Grashk agreed to use his squad to help them reach the comm deck, and the Ssrisk reached the comm deck with ease. However when Grashk disabled the comm interrupter, he accidentally triggered an alarm, and summoned a large number of Rakorsians. Most of the Ssrisk were killed in the ensuing battle and Grashk was knocked unconscious. He was therefore inactive for much of the ensuing battle, in which Varrin arrived to rescue everyone and Hroshk killed Kratis. Right as Grashk regained consciousness, an insane Hroshk aimed his striker at Eris, threatening to kill her. Grashk tackled his captain, knocking the striker from his grasp and allowing Varrin and Eris to finish him off.

When Eris, Varrin and Miguri decided to head to the escape pod, they brought Grashk with them as thanks for his help. Grashk immediately got along poorly with Varrin, due to their competing egos. The pod was gone, but the group was able to take advantage of Grashk's status as commander of the Ssrisk vessel in light of all the superior officers' deaths. They planned to find another ship to board the Ssrisk vessel and rescue the Noncoformity. They were briefly interrupted by Fino'jin, who Varrin defeated with a knock-out disc. After arriving at the Rakorsian docking bay and defeating the guards there, they escaped Kratis' ship. Their victory was interrupted by the Psilosian vessel, which had finally arrived.

Captain Hm'Dala and the Psilosians contacted the Rakorsian ship, and the crew was displeased with their demands to mind-wipe Eris. Grashk ordered the Ssrisk to attack the Psilosians, giving the group's new ship time to escape. Eris suggested the group hide on the far side of Saturn, so the planet's magnetic fields would skew the Psilosians' sensors. The plan succeeded, and the ship headed back to Earth.

A New Crew Member
Grashk accompanied Eris, Varrin and Miguri to Earth, where Eris was to be returned home. Eris tried to hug Grashk goodbye, a fact that greatly displeased him. Grashk waited on the ship with Miguri while Varrin walked Eris back to her dormitory.

When Varrin returned to the ship alone, Grashk learned that Varrin had abruptly proposed to Eris, and she had refused him. Varrin began to mope and rant in the engine room, a fact that greatly angered Grashk. The following morning Eris returned to repair her relationship with Varrin, deciding to leave Earth behind for good. With that Grashk departed the planet alongside his new allies. The crew's next goal was to retrieve the Nonconformity from the Psilosians, though Grashk insisted that they would retrieve the Ssrisk ship as well.